Sheppard, who was the best middle distance runner in world competition at the beginning of the century, won the 800 m and 1500 m in the 1908 London games.One in the eye for the police, who had turned him down on the grounds that he had a weak heart!In the 800 m the judges tried to get him to beat the world record by placing the finishing line 5 m further on. Sheppard, who knew the distance and exactly how much effort he had to make, stopped dead at 800 m and beat the world record anyway. No fool he!